READY Appalachia Grants to Grow

Megan Robinson
Ready@arc.gov

READY Appalachia Grants to Grow will provide funding to organizations seeking to build individual, organizational, and/or community capacity across the region.

Program priorities:

• Building Appalachian businesses - Strengthen and diversify the region's economy through inclusive economic development strategies and investments in entrepreneurship and business development
• Building Appalachia's workforce ecosystem - Expand and strengthen community systems (education, healthcare, housing, childcare, and others) that help Appalachians obtain a job, stay on the job, and advance along a financially sustaining career pathway
• Building Appalachia's infrastructure - Ensure that the residents and businesses of Appalachia have access to reliable, affordable, resilient, and energy-efficient utilities and infrastructure in order to successfully live and work in the region
• Building regional culture and tourism - Strengthen Appalachia's community and economic development potential by preserving and investing in the region's local cultural heritage and natural assets

Projects should help build:

• Individual capacity, including staff training or professional development
• Organizational capacity, including internal strategic planning or expanding services
• Community capacity, including launching a community-led planning process or hiring a planning contractor

Capacity building program priorities are listed in the application instructions.

Eligible applicants:

• Local development districts (LDDs)
• Tribes or a consortium of Tribes
• States, counties, cities, or other political subdivisions of a state, including a special purpose unit of a state or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions
• Institutions of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education
• Public or private nonprofit organizations or associations, including labor unions

Applicants must be located in and serve within the Appalachian Regional Commission service area.

Award range: Up to $100,000 for planning grants and between $100,000-$500,000 for implementation grants
Project period: 18 months for planning grants and up to 3 years for implementation grants
Estimated total program funding: $9,000,000

A link to the application instructions is available on the program website.

Submit a letter of intent using the online form by November 1, 2024. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal, with a deadline of February 14, 2024.